In this interview, you’ll hear from Elizabeth Holliday, a Peace Corps Environment volunteer in Nepal. Elizabeth shares what daily life looks like, the work being done, and how service has shaped their personal and professional growth. You’ll learn about housing, cultural differences, project work, language learning, and what it’s like to live and work in a new country. This interview offers a real look into Peace Corps service and what future volunteers can expect.
Table of Contents
- Volunteer Experience and Motivation
- Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
- Surprises and Challenges
- Advice and Support
- Practical Tips and Language Learning
- Social Identity
- Final Thoughts
Volunteer Experience and Motivation
1. What do you do as a Peace Corps Environment volunteer in Nepal?
As a community forest and environment volunteer, I have the best of both worlds (agriculture and education). I work part-time in school, teaching Environmental Science to students in grades 5-7, and conduct an Eco club on Fridays. Since I’m an Env Teacher, I don’t have to follow any textbook or curriculum, which is a blast. I can dive into topics that I find fun and exciting while also teaching them very important information about resources and waste management. I’ve recently really enjoyed teaching my kids about animal adaptations and relationships, with the intention for them to see how cool nature is and want to protect it.
When I’m not in school, I join community members to cut grass, plant, harvest, and process crops, and assist my community forest user group (CFUG) with any ongoing projects. Currently, I am working on a mango tree orchard project with my community forest, which I fundraised money for with the Peace Corps Partnership Program grant. For this grant, we are digging 350 pits to fill with a rich compost mixture to offset nutrient-deficient clay dirt that’s in the forest and then planting the saplings in that new soil a month later. We are also implementing a watering system to provide water to the saplings during the dry season. The purpose of this project is to utilize forest land to generate income for the community.
After working with your community members to learn the strengths, challenges, and opportunities, you can decide which environmental project you choose to invest your time in. Examples are waste management, income generation from forest products, or implementing improved cookstoves to reduce wood use and smoke inhalation.
2. Why did you decide to join the Peace Corps and serve in Nepal?
I first learned about the Peace Corps from my high school Spanish teacher, who was an RPCV (returned Peace Corps volunteer). Throughout college, he encouraged me to apply after we had several conversations about it. I graduated with a B.S. in Biology and worked in big Pharma for a year after graduation. I was in a transition period and could either continue to pursue a job in Pharma or take the chance in the Peace Corps. My mentors, family, boyfriend, and peers all supported me in joining, and it felt like a great time. I wanted to challenge myself, and I didn’t want to have any regrets that I didn’t go for it. I was also driven to reconnect with nature in a unique way, explore my passion for mentorship and teaching, and learn a new language and culture.
Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
3. What is your housing like in Nepal?
PST host family
During the first 9 weeks of PST (Pre-Service Training), I lived with a Chhetri family consisting of my host sister (28), her son (9), her husband’s parents (50-70), and her sister-in-law and her daughter (6), who lived next door. We had a cow, and they worked in the nearby fields.
Permanent site host family
After PST, we go to our permanent sites and are required to live with host families for the full two years of service to facilitate integration and language learning. At my permanent site, I live with my host dad (67) and mom (50). Their son and wife (32 & 25) recently moved in part-time with their newborn baby boy. My host parents have another daughter who lives in Texas with her husband and young son. I’ve met them over video many times. Neither of my host parents works, which is unusual for their age in Nepal, so I tend to tag along with other neighbors during the day to cut grass, tend to animals, and keep busy.
While I don’t live lavishly, I do have accommodations that some volunteers do not have. We have running water in our house, western and pit toilets, a gas stove, Wi-Fi, and electricity (most of the time). We also have meat chickens, so I have a consistent source of protein throughout the year. I eat morning tea and biscuits; I make my lunch–mostly oatmeal–but I eat dinner with my family. Our dinner consists of daal bhat, whatever vegetable is in season (string beans, eggplant, okra, bitter guard, potato), and eggs or chicken. Occasionally, on holidays, we will eat goat or baisi (water buffalo) meat.
My community has a small bazaar with a few tea shops, school supplies, tailors, and fabric, but if I want to get other supplies, groceries, or enjoy non-Nepali cuisine with other volunteers, I’ll take my local bus for 2 hours to drive to Pokhara, my district center.
4. What moments or interactions stand out during your service?
The first time I left my permanent site to go to my district center was quite exciting. Before leaving the house, my family was very worried I would get lost. They told me exactly which bus park to go to, what times the buses left, and how to get there. They told me to go to the ticket counter to find the correct bus.
However, once I got to the bus park, I couldn’t find the ticket counter. Every ticket counter was unoccupied, and I was lost, going in circles trying to find someone in charge. I asked a man nearby for help and where to go. Suddenly, nearly 10 men were on the situation. Talking to one another and trying to figure out where I was going and how to get me there, which was quite hilarious, but it goes to show how much people want to help. They were trying to tell me the bus I was describing did not exist, which was not true, and suggesting I take a taxi. I got my host dad on the phone, and the situation was soon sorted out, and I made it back to my site in one piece.
Surprises and Challenges
5. What has surprised you most about living or working in Nepal?
Waste Management:
Having visited several developing countries in the past, I understood that waste management systems were a luxury and not to be expected. Despite knowing this, I was still shocked when I saw kids and adults alike littering on walks and throwing trash out of bus windows. Outside of major cities, it’s hard to find any waste management services. Some villages here and there have implemented them, but without trucks to take away your trash, you have two options. Throw it or burn it.
Amongst the volunteers, we’ve debated which one is better and worse for the environment and people’s health, but there’s no good answer. Everything you’ve ever bought, consumed, or used still exists on our planet, and you feel this 100% when you live in Nepal. I’ve become extremely aware of my waste production. To manage my own waste, I try to Eco Brick all my clean plastic waste and compost all paper and decomposables. Changing my students’ and host families’ behavior regarding waste management has been very challenging. At school, I’m hoping we will make enough eco bricks to build a sitting area for the students.
Connecting with community:
Another unexpected cultural challenge was finding ways to connect with my community while still doing things I enjoyed. In village schools, extracurricular activities like clubs or sports are not advantageous for college applications and therefore not a priority for schools or parents. Coming from America, which has a big culture of hobbies and clubs, I had trouble connecting with my community members. In my village, only the boys play volleyball after school, and while I can join if I ask, they become a bit too rowdy for me at times. However, I’ve loved assisting with the girls’ volleyball team during the annual sports week. If there is interest at my school, I’d like to start a year-round girls’ volleyball team.
Additionally, many Nepalis leave the village after high school to move to bigger cities or countries for university and economic opportunities. As a result, there is a large age gap in the communities, and your closest friends are either 6 or 60 years old. I’ll play games outside with the kids or share my art with my neighbors. Some volunteers have had success with playing Uno, chess, or weaving with community members. If you are into TikTok, you’ll likely become a local celebrity. Sometimes the women will join me for “evening walks”. You’ll get creative with how you connect with your community, and smiling goes a long way.
Cultural norms:
Another cultural difference that has been challenging to overcome is the difference in privacy norms. In America, you are taught not to walk on people’s lawns, go to their houses unannounced, or insert yourself in places you weren’t invited. Throw that all out the window.
Here, you cut through people’s yards to navigate your way across town, show up at weddings of people you’ve never met, go to people’s houses unannounced, and call out for Daai (brother) and Didi (sister) until someone responds. These practices have been hard for me to adopt because they go against everything I was taught growing up. It feels invasive and awkward, but it’s just the way it’s done here. The more you observe others doing it, the more comfortable you will feel doing it too.
Food:
I had done a lot of research on Nepal before arriving and knew what to expect when it came to food. Nepal is not known for its cuisine. The majority of families grow up eating the same meal, daal bhat (lentils & rice), twice a day for their entire life, with some snacks here and there for variety. Every family cooks daal bhat a little differently, and even going from house to house can be a nice change.
Throughout service, I’ve had waves of challenge with the lack of diversity in the Nepali diet. About 5 months after arriving at site, I started making my own lunch to replace one of the daal bhat meals, and that has helped me significantly.
The Nepali diet is a challenging part of service for the majority of volunteers in Nepal. You don’t have a lot of control over what your host family cooks, but the living stipend we receive is enough to supplement your protein or snack needs. Additionally, volunteers may have the option to start cooking on their own after the first three months at their permanent site.
6. What challenges have you faced in your environmental work, and how did you respond?
Community Forest:
I was lucky to have a very active community forest user group at my site. After a few months at site, I had a few ideas about projects I’d like to pursue. I was most excited about a school project, but because my CFUG enthusiastically approached me about creating a project and my school did not, I worked with my CFUG to create our mango tree orchard. I’ve been very happy with my CFUG president’s leadership and drive in completing our grant, despite some unexpected challenges.
This year, monsoon season has started early with several hail storms, strong winds, and frequent rain events. As a result, we’ve had delays in digging our sapling holes and preparing the land for the mango saplings.
School:
The first year of teaching was a challenge. Part-time teaching in a country with a ton of holidays and events makes it hard to keep up with the school schedule. Part-time teaching also makes classroom management that much harder. You get a small fraction of face time with your students to build relationships and respect. While technically illegal in Nepal, corporal punishment does still occur, and once the students realize you won’t physically discipline them for being bad, they tend to walk over you a bit. However, after a year, I finally feel like I have a good connection with my kids, and the ones I don’t, that’s okay; we will grow in our second year together.
Communication:
A secondary challenge in the environment sector is communication and language.
Miscommunication
I have found communication to be very challenging in Nepal, and it’s not necessarily a reflection of a language barrier, although that does play a part. There have been times I was not informed by my school, CFUG, or family of events and meetings that were occurring that I had expressed interest in going to. Now when this occurs, I inform someone at the event, whether it’s the head teacher, my CFUG president, or family members, that I should be notified in advance and included in the communication. Not wanting to make a bad impression or step on any toes, I was more reserved my first 6 months at site, but I’ve become increasingly direct with my words when I’m disappointed or upset and my expectations for counterparts.
One-on-one communication
An additional challenge with language is that some people are more patient than others. For me, Nepali has been very challenging to learn mostly due to the difference in sentence structure from English and my slow processing and listening comprehension (this is not an issue exclusive to Nepali; I’ve experienced this with all languages I’ve studied). Nepali is easier in the sense that there are no irregular verbs or funky language rules like English. While learning Nepali, it’s been challenging to keep community members’ attention while I slowly work out the sentence I am trying to say, and ask them to repeat themselves slowly when I did not catch what they said.
Despite a few miscommunications here and there, I’ve been able to successfully do all my intended projects and daily work. Everyone has a different experience with learning language and using it at site. Please do not let learning a new language discourage you from considering Nepal as your Peace Corps country.
7. What secondary projects have you worked on during your service?
Pen Pal:
Last year, I organized a pen pal program for my students in grades 6th-10th with students in grades 7th who attended my alma mater with my previous history teacher. In total, 161 students participated in exchanging four letters each. We talked about culture and holidays, student life, hobbies, and daily responsibilities and schedules.
Menstrual Health Campaign:
I also conducted a one-day menstrual health and reusable pad-making workshop with 22 girls in grades 6th- 11th at school. Another volunteer came to my site to assist me with the workshop. We gave a presentation and talked about menstrual practices in Nepal vs America before teaching them how to make their own pads. The next day, we also gave lessons on nutrition to grades 5-7, since she was an agricultural volunteer.
Service Improvement Committee (SIC):
While not a secondary project, I am a sector improvement committee member. In Nepal, we have several leadership opportunities for volunteers who want to be more involved in supporting fellow volunteers. They range from mental health support, project improvement, networking events, and social media management. As an SIC member, I represent the Environment volunteers in my cohort and work with staff to address volunteer concerns and needs. I’ve enjoyed this aspect of service and the opportunity to not only serve my host community but my peers as well.
Advice and Support
8. How did Peace Corps training prepare you for service?
During PST, we had about three hours of language training every day. This was extremely helpful in learning the language and practicing with each other. Since my cohort of Environment volunteers was the first in Nepal, we were somewhat of a trial run, and a lot has changed since our PST based on our feedback. This new group of Environment volunteers received a lot of teaching practice training, forest management training, as well as more language training.
In our experience, PST, which includes hearing from currently serving volunteers, prepared us very well for cultural integration. I don’t think it’s necessary to study Nepali before arriving in Nepal, but if you’d like to get a head start, I would recommend learning the numbers up to 20 and some common words. I placed sticky notes around my house labeling different fruits, vegetables, and household items, all of which are available to you on the learning portal that you gain access to once you’re accepted into the country.
Practical Tips and Language Learning
9. What would you tell future volunteers to pack—or leave behind?
Pack whatever items make you feel comfortable and at home. However, I don’t recommend packing anything that can’t be replaced (clothes may get moldy or something may get lost).
Everyday clothes:
I wish I had packed more everyday clothes that I wore in the US. I brought a lot of skirts and dresses that I wore during PST, but at site I tend to lean towards pants and t-shirts because of my walking habits, the dust, and sweat. Some female volunteers choose to adopt Nepali clothing at site like a casual everyday khurta suruwal. At my site, women wear khurtas but also dresses and pants, so I tend to grab my pants too, unless I’m attending an event.
Hobbies:
I also recommend bringing any hobby that you enjoy. You’ll have as much downtime as you choose to have. I bought a Kindle off Facebook Marketplace right before leaving Nepal, and it was the best purchase I made. I also brought an art book, a journal, and colored pencils for crafting and art, just enough to last me the first three months of PST.
Every house has access to electricity, although it may not be reliable, so electronic gaming systems are possible to bring if that’s something you enjoy. Some volunteers have brought slack lines, hammocks, roller skates, and their niche instruments, like a saxophone, but common instruments like drums and guitars are available in big cities.
The top items I brought:
- My pillow
- Several pairs of sneakers and shoes. It’s hard to find quality shoes in Nepal.
- A rechargeable small fan for when the power goes out in the summer
- Rechargeable lantern
- Kindle
- Photos to hang up in my room
Maybe a bit unrealistic, but I wish I had a rechargeable mini vacuum to clean my room.
Host family gifts:
Bringing a gift for your host families is a nice gesture. They really like mugs (you could get one that represents your home state or the US) or maybe a niche food item that is common to your area (I wish I brought Old Bay). I would recommend something that is low-waste and reusable. Some volunteers brought fun socks, T-shirts, dish towels, or posters. You won’t know who your host family will be, so it’s hard to prepare for how much you should bring, but don’t stress over it too much.
Shopping:
If you don’t wear it at home, you probably won’t wear it at site. During PST, you’ll have limited options for shopping, but after PST in KTM (Kathmandu), you will be able to complete almost all shopping needs, but probably not at the same quality you could get back home. Nepal also has an online shopping app called “Daraz”; it’s like the Nepali equivalent to Amazon, and you can have things shipped to the PC office to pick up.
10. How has language learning been for you in Nepal?
Above, I mentioned my challenges with language and what you can expect from PST. For the past 8 months or so at site, I’ve had a tutor that I meet with once a week. She’s the daughter of one of my community members/counterparts, and she studies at the nearby university. She has great English, which makes it helpful to understand each other and what questions I have. While she’s not a teacher in any way, she is a great person to practice language with and answer any language and cultural questions I have. Peace Corps will provide you with money to pay for a tutor once you get to site, and they encourage everyone to continue studying the language at the site, but it is up to you to identify that language practice partner.
Social Identity
11. How has your personal identity shaped your service experience?
The common conception of Americans is that we are all white and Christian. When I arrived at my permanent site, my family told me that they were surprised I wasn’t blonde with blue eyes. I laughed and was confused about why they had thought I should be. Although I’ve told many people that I am not religious or Christian, I don’t think they’ve fully grasped this.
Female volunteer
As a woman, I feel very safe in Nepal; however, I’ve still experienced sexual harassment from strangers. Moreover, as a woman, your family may be more protective of you than your male counterparts, saying you shouldn’t walk or run alone. When people say this, I laugh and tell them I enjoy walking alone and I’m not scared to walk alone. I’ve had little backlash from this, and they now tell each other “she’s not scared of anything,” which is not true. I tell them I am very afraid of leeches.
Menstrual rules
Depending on your family, you may also experience very strict menstrual rules. In many Nepali cultures, menstruation is seen as impure and dirty. During your period, you may not be allowed in the kitchen or allowed to touch the same water or kitchenware as your family and may be forced to eat in a different room alone. I do not have any restrictions in my house around menstruation, but rules can vary depending on your family’s caste and ethnicity.
Patriarchal culture
Nepal is patriarchal, and that can weigh on you at times. Women are expected to do all the housework, cook, clean, wash clothes, and do field work as well. Once you arrive, you soon realize how much more work (on average) women do than men. Men do acknowledge this: they sit around and play cards while women work the fields and house, yet women are still underpaid and undervalued.
Final Thoughts
12. What final advice would you share with future volunteers?
Peace Corps support
No matter what challenges, experiences, or successes you have, the Peace Corps Nepal community is here to support and celebrate you. While I haven’t served in any other PC country, I think PC Nepal is very unique for our amazing staff and large cohort size. Many peer-led groups and committees are here to provide support during your service, and you’ll never feel alone.
No reason to fear the unknown
If you want an adventure and you’re ready to get uncomfortable, this is the place for you. It really isn’t as hard once you get here; it’s more the fear of the unknown before you leave that’s holding you back. The friends you will make and the experiences you have will last you a lifetime, and you’ll have some pretty cool stories to tell one day.
Nepali kindness
Everyone’s experience is different, and you won’t find two the same. I felt so loved by my immediate community and the greater country. Nepalis are so helpful and generous. Strangers will offer you food on a long bus ride; your neighbors will want to make you dinner, share their watermelon, or sit down for tea with you. I’ve had a store owner offer to drive me 1.5 hours home after I kept missing my bus due to language issues. I ended up getting my last bus home, but his offer was extremely generous.
Final note
Peace Corps isn’t all work and no play. You get vacation days and you can choose how to spend those, whether that’s exploring your Peace Corps country more or exploring another country (with some exceptions). Since being in service, I’ve taken a vacation to Thailand and I’ve gone trekking with other volunteers. You’ll have time to rejuvenate throughout your two years!
Are you thinking about joining the Peace Corps? If you’re curious about service and ready for something new, apply today. Like Elizabeth, you can live abroad, work with communities, and grow in ways you didn’t expect. Apply to the Peace Corps and take the next step.
The content of this post does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or Nepal Government.
